12-hour plane ride passing by Africa
Somewhere in the middle of that uncomfortably long journey, at which point my legs and neck seemed permanently cramped, I clicked on the airplane’s video map. As the map zoomed in to pinpoint our location, I was shocked to realize we were directly above South Sudan – flying over a large portion of the continent of Africa.
Only then did I realize just how far away from home we really were…
About Mauritius
“Located approximately 2000 kilometres to the south eastern coast of Africa, the country covers an area of 1865km with 330 kilometers of coastline. Mauritius is 45km in width and 65km in length…a blend of diverse cultures and religions. The population consists of Hindus, Creole, Chinese, Muslims and Europeans.” (Mauritius info)
First Class Treatment
Travel doesn’t usually stop when you leave the airport. Now quite an experienced traveler, I usually plan ahead and know what combination of train, buses, walking, and transferring I have to do to get from the airport to the final destination.
This time, Jim decided that it’d be nicer to have someone waiting for us upon arrival to take us directly to the resort. After 12 hours on a plane, I was very happy with his smart planning in advance!! The driver carried our luggage for us, provided us cold, refreshing herbal smelling washcloths and bottled water, before opening the doors to one of the nicest cars in the parking lot, a BMW SUV, that transported us to our final destination.
A wonderful welcoming reception at the Sofitel So Bel Ombre, we were escorted to an open-air pavilion with comfy couches to fill out the check-in details, then we rode in a golf cart through beautifully manicured surroundings before we stopped directly in front of the entrance to our hotel suite.
Resort Life…
is a world of its own. We planned this vacation with the sole purpose of relaxation, to absorb in the warmth of hot weather and lots of sun that we often miss seeing now that we’re residents of London.
View of the gardens outside of our hotel suite
We enjoyed many days on the resort doing just that, and we rotated time between the beach and our private patio to play cards, dominoes and read books as we sipped on a cold beer. Wonderful!
Yet, there was still something missing. As much as Jim and I might imagine we’d be content living this life, we get bored easily. We are both explorers at heart and don’t want to miss out on any new experiences.
So ultimately we determined we needed to explore and see what life was like outside of our secluded, luxurious gated-in resort.
Island Life Observations…
Making salt…
On our 3rd and 4th days in Mauritius, we rented a car, during which we covered almost the whole radius of the island.
Passing by small villages, I noticed concrete and stone houses open to all the elements and crowded housing blocks that lacked many of the modern novelties we depend on regularly. Poverty was apparent, and I doubt us “Westerners” would adjust to living conditions that are typical of many Mauritian residents’ daily lives. But I never once felt unsafe. Instead I noticed a very different kind of world than I live in…
Easy for us to overlook daily needs like eating, it is not quite as simple for some of the residents on this island. A real awareness for me of just how many things I take for granted. As we drove by a woman washing all of her clothing in the nearby creek, I told myself to stop complaining about the fact that European dryers don’t really dry!
From the tall sugar cane crops, to the coastlines, to rolling green hills, and even the capital city of Port Louis, there was plenty to see landscape-wise. No shortage of beautiful views and a dream island for anyone with a passion and love of nature.
Insects and Animals on the island…
The Dodo bird is native to the island of Mauritius. Though the Dodo bird has now been extinct since the late 17th century, there were reminders of its existence everywhere. We particularly loved the Dodo bird statue next to our villa entrance (which Jim often turned around with the bird’s butt facing out to see if the staff would re-adjust), as well as a great Dodo sign when it rained one morning.
At night as we sat outside, there were small lizards crawling on the patio ceiling above us, frogs hopping on the ground next to our feet preying on insects, even a wild cat who frequently stopped by to visit us most nights (especially after I fed her some Pringles chips).
Unfortunately, one of those small lizards managed to get inside our room and after a few unsuccessful attempts on my part to catch it (they’re fast!), we called our hotel maintenance for help. The lizard chasing process took exactly 25 minutes and caused a slight destruction of our room (as the bed and other furniture was moved around) until finally the maintenance guy trapped it with a broom and shoved the lizard back outside where he belonged. I’m sure they laugh at the tourists, like me, who come to the island and can’t sleep with a tiny little lizard inside!!
All in all, a wonderful vacation and I have to give Jim complete credit for persuading me to travel 12 hours by plane to a new exotic location.
Nice people, amazing beaches and landscapes, and I’m happy to have had the chance to understand the history and culture of an island whose name I didn’t even know existed a few months ago. It was undeniably worth the journey!
March 26, 2013
Mauritius, Travel